Later, in his underground cell, Jesús prayed to Jehovah for strength and aid. Down there, the young man could speak to no one else, except the rats. Each day Jesús was taken out at rifle point to work for eight hours breaking stones with a pick​—purposeless labor intended as demoralizing punishment.

But what about that threat of daily beatings? Well, the next day Jesús was given olive oil for his wounds and his head was bandaged. In that state he was taken out for his second thrashing, this time at the hands of a corporal assigned to do the job while the captain looked on to make certain that it was done properly. This barbarous treatment even caused indignation among the guards and other soldiers. His resolution beginning to waver, Jesús wondered if he really could stand this treatment daily.

On the third day, Jesús was called out for his stone-breaking stint. Halfway through the morning, however, he was again summoned to the captain’s office. To his relief, there he found a military judge, who had arrived to investigate his case and start proceedings against him. When the judge saw the bandages and the evident signs of a beating, he asked what had happened. Jesús was almost afraid to tell him, for afterward there might be reprisals. Nevertheless, he told the judge the truth. At that the judge assured him that he would not be beaten again. Here was the answer to his prayers of the day before! During the remaining six years of that incarceration, Jesús never was manhandled again. And he was sure that Jehovah answers the prayers of the faithful.​—Prov. 15:29.

Jesús knew that other Christian neutrals had also taken their stand and earnestly prayed that one of these brothers might be assigned to his prison. After four years of virtual isolation, his prayers were answered, for Alberto Contijoch was sent there. The two of them studied together and also preached more openly in the prison. In fact, they prepared their own “third” edition of the Bible textbook “Let God Be True.” The new arrival did the writing, as he could better remember the book’s contents, whereas Jesús did the correcting and adapting of the material.

Later, in 1961, a third Christian neutral, Francisco Díaz Moreno, was assigned to Ocaña prison. The three young men managed to acquire a copy of the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom,” and Jesús was able to prepare additional copies, using the typewriter in the office where he worked. At one time, they were conducting fifteen Bible studies with fellow inmates.